


Yoda's Shadow

by Amethyst_Molly



Series: Shadows [1]
Category: Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-05
Updated: 2019-10-15
Packaged: 2020-06-11 20:50:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19549276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amethyst_Molly/pseuds/Amethyst_Molly
Summary: Luke, Leia, and Anakin get sent back in time at the end of ROTJ, hijinx ensue.





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

***

Vader watched as Palpatine used Sith Lightning on his son. His son. "Now, young Skywalker, you will die." Brother to his daughter. His daughter, who would not forgive him if he let her brother die. Padmé's son. Padmé, who wouldn't forgive him if either of his children preceded him in joining her in the Force. His son, and he wouldn't be able to forgive himself if he let Luke die. Anakin Skywalker picked up the Emperor, and used his massive height to maneuver the Emperor over the railing. Dropping the Sith over the side of the reactor pit, he collapsed. _I wish I could have known them,_ he thought, as he and Luke watched the body explode. He felt a pure, bright light envelope his tired form, and he released himself to it. He was ready to die.

***

Luke could only feel writhing agony as lightning struck his body over and over. He called out to his father, "Father…Help me," before he couldn't speak any further. Some time later, the Force washed over him, and the pain drifted away like a bad dream. There was not sight, nor sound, nor touch, only himself and the Force, and the sensation that his father was nearby. He could sense that Anakin was turned inward, feeling regret for his actions--the actions of a Sith, and the lack of action as a Jedi. He couldn't feel his sister. He reached, panicked, for her, but he couldn't find her. He reached harder, but then he couldn't anymore. The Force was not in him, but all around him. He was in the Force. It would be fine, he sensed.

***

Leia could feel the conflict happening on the Death Star, the ebb and flow of evil and good, its connection to her through her blood, her father, her brother. Then they were gone. She reached out to Luke, as he had been showing her she could, but she couldn't feel him reaching back. Then there was nothing, as she was inside the Force, rather than the Force being inside of her. She felt movement, but not of a type that she could describe. It wasn't physical movement so much as mental movement. She was moving away from Han, her soldiers, everyone she knew, into somewhere new, different and altogether alien.

***

Master Yoda sat in his meditation chamber. It was morning and light streamed through the windows, although the slats blocked a good part of it out. The light made the carpet a blotchy gold and brown. Master Yoda was paying heed only to some strange ripples in the Force that he had come to investigate. He had thought that the ripples were quite odd, but never in his life had he sensed anything like it. Waiting for the ripples was not like watching waves on a beach. It was like trying to see sound waves. He caught evidence, now and again, of their passing, and they were coming more and more quickly.

Eyes closed, he concentrated on the changes taking place. _Strange, it is, this happening._ He thought. Had anyone else sensed something like this, they would have come to Yoda. But they did not. _For myself alone, this is._ Whatever was happening was getting closer, sooner. A crash in the room in front of him jostled him out of his meditation. An encased figure was the first to catch his eye; with that figure, there was a young man. A quick check showed them both to be strong Force users. "Hmm-mm," Yoda said as he climbed down to get a closer look. The man was wearing all black, with a glove on one hand. He looked stunned. "What have you to say for yourself? Hmm?" Yoda poked him with his walking stick. "Interrupted my meditation you have. Hmm?" He looked over the young man, once more. "Recognize you I do not. Quick you shall be, or away you shall go."

The man swallowed, and then started talking, "Master Yoda, I-I'm so sorry. I don't know what is going on. We were fighting the Emperor and then we were here."

"Humph. Know me, do you?" Master Yoda poked him again. "Unknown, you are still."

"Luke, Master Yoda," he said, "I am Luke. You trained me, and then you were no more." The young man seemed to have been trained as a Jedi, and while startled, perhaps even shaken, he was calm.

""Trained you, did I?" Master Yoda looked him over again. "Many years it has been since a Padawan's training I have undertaken." Yet Yoda's senses told him that this Luke was being truthful. "What of him?" Yoda poked the encased figure between them.

Luke looked startled, as he had obviously forgotten the man. "This is my father," he whispered.

***

Leia woke to a pounding head. She groaned, turning away from the bright light, burying her head in the pillow underneath her head.

"Oh, no you don't. It's a lucky thing that you are alive," a female voice said. "The doctor needs to take a look at you."

"Where's Luke?" she asked, panicked by her inability to feel her brother's presence.

Confused, the voice answered, "You are alone."

Shakily, after she sat up with help, she asked, "What happened?"

"You practically fell into my lap during an important meeting. You hit your head on the marble stairs to my dais, and the doctor thinks you might have a concussion." She sighed, and then continued, "The security detail is all atwitter because they cannot figure out where you came from. Do you remember how you got here?"

Leia could hardly remember anything past her own name through the pounding in her head. "I don't know. I don't even know where I am."

"You are in my palace in Theed."

"I don't know where Theed is."

"Naboo."

"Oh. I've heard of Naboo. I have never been here before." Then she remembered why she knew the name Naboo. It was the planet after Coruscant with the tightest security. Being a princess meant, among other things, that she knew how to keep a neutral expression in the face of the unknown.

The voice laughed, and said, "I would certainly hope that you had heard of the place that you were at."

"Your Majesty, she seems fine. If she has a concussion, it is a mild one. She should not be allowed to sleep for more than about an hour at a time over the next day, but otherwise I will release her to you."

The lights dimmed, so Leia took the chance of opening her eyes. Leia saw the Queen of Naboo, she presumed, in her formal appearance--hair done up in an elaborate style, white make-up, red dots on her cheeks and a small black mark on her bottom lip. 

She had the oddest sensation when she looked at the Queen, as though she had met her before.


	2. Chapter 2

"Your father is he?" Yoda poked the figure with his walking stick. "Not much longer will you have him, should he continue to lose strength."

"We should get him to a healer." Luke said. "Or would a mechanic be better?"

"Humph. Healers he shall see." Yoda walked over to a communicator, and spoke with the person on the other end. Luke watched over his father with his eyes and with the Force. He bolstered his failing life force, hoping that he would be able to help him gain a new life here, wherever that was. So much had happened in such a short span of time that he was uncertain of what was going on. _Am I dreaming?_ He wondered, not remembering if he had hit his head in the battle with the Emperor. _I'm too sore from that lightning to be dreaming._ Then there was the matter of Master Yoda. _I watched him die, or rather, fade into the Force._ "Master Yoda, why are you here?"

"Humph. The wrong question do you ask. Why are you here?" he punctuated his words with jabbing motions with his walking stick.

Luke felt unsettled by the question and by Master Yoda in general. _What has happened to me?_ He wondered, becoming alarmed by the question.

The healers chose that moment to step through the door, whisking Anakin away, muttering under their breaths.

"To your thoughts I leave you, Jedi Luke." Master Yoda said, heading out the door after the healers.

Luke stood. Looking around the room, he walked over to the window and looked out onto the bustling rush of Coruscant.

***

Yoda followed in the wake of the Healers, walking into the Healer's rooms about 5 minutes after they did. He sat upon a stool, out of the way, but high enough so that he could watch the proceedings.

The Healers had removed Anakin's helmet, and replaced it with a respirator. The scars on his head prevented any hair growth, and he'd been inside the suit so long that he had no color whatsoever. They gave him several shots to help his body combat the damage that the Force Lightning had caused. Anakin remained unconscious throughout the whole of it. When the Healers pronounced him stable, one of them came over to Yoda.

"We have had no one who has survived as much damage as this man has put his body through." She said to Yoda, shaking her head. "As near as we can tell without getting him out of that thing, he's lost both legs near the hip, the better part of one arm below the elbow, the majority of the other arm above the elbow, and second and third degree burns over about 90 of his remaining flesh. His lungs show evidence of scorching as well, though the mechanics of his suit help him breathe. We have him on oxygen now, which will help him to recover."

Yoda absorbed the information that she was giving him. He sighed. "A secret his presence here must be. Away he must be hidden, and carefully he must be watched. A darkness I sense upon him." Yoda looked at the young Healer. "Heavy this burden will be for you."

"I will see to it, Master."

***

The Queen arrived in her throne room with her handmaidens. "Captain Panaka, what is the status of this ridiculous blockade?" She asked as she sat down in her throne.

"We have been unable to convince the Trade Federation of their error," the captain said, shaking his head.

Governor Bibble added, "We heard from Senator Palpatine earlier. He promised that he would let us know how the presentation to the senate went this morning. He should be contacting us any moment."

"Good," the Queen said. "Are the supplies that we have left being distributed to all regions, Governor?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. We are doing our very utmost to ensure that everyone is getting what they need."

The holographic projector came on, showing Senator Palpatine. "Your Majesty," he said bowing.

"Thank you for taking the time to inform me of what is going on today, Senator."

"It is my pleasure to serve you, Your Majesty. I spoke with the Chancellor today in a private meeting, and he has assured me that he is sending his very best ambassadors to negotiate the situation for us, so that we may resolve this peacefully. They should arrive within the week. He told me he would send word when they are close so that we may know when this awful blockade will be close to ending."

"Thank you, Senator. Your service is an asset to this planet and your people."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. I regret that I must leave you so that I may attend the General Assembly now. We will speak soon."

"Until then," the Queen nodded and the transmission cut off.


	3. Chapter 3

Anakin woke. He stared at the ceiling, and the ceiling was there. It did not move. It was white. It shouldn't have been white, but it was. He blinked. He inhaled with a rush of air that was trying to force its way in anyway. He heard beeping and voices melding together, but when he tried to focus on either they slipped out of his grasp. He smelled something as well, and like the white ceiling, he shouldn't have been able to smell. A few words caught in his ears before he slipped out of consciousness again: "…alive, but…barely…"

***

Luke had never seen the likes of Coruscant. It was like Mos Eisley, but thousands of times larger. Tearing his gaze away from the city, he took a seat on one of the meditation cushions. Dropping into meditation, he instantly felt that there was something wrong with the Force. He could sense the vibrancy of the city, but it had been merely a thought away, rather than a battle royale to drop into contact with the Force. The Force was so different that he thought he was imagining things.

He focused on Master Yoda's question, thinking that the Force would show him an answer. He thought he heard a whispered to make a difference. The Force had never whispered to him before. He let the thought suffuse him, and found it to be the truth.

He jumped when Master Yoda rapped him on the head with his walking stick. "Master Yoda…" He began, but Yoda cut him off.

"Your story I wish to hear," he said getting comfortable on one of the cushions. "Long has it been since someone so deep with the Force I have encountered."

Luke nodded, more to himself than to Yoda, and he began to recite how he had come to this place. "I grew up with my Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru on Tatooine. There was an old man in the desert, Old Ben, we called him. We bought two droids that the Jawas were selling, but they turned out to belong to my sister, who was a leader of the Rebellion. R2-D2 took off on me and I had to chase him down. He led me to Old Ben, whose real name I learned was Obi-Wan Kenobi.

"It wasn't long after that when Stormtroopers came chasing after the two droids, and they destroyed my uncle's farm. Obi-Wan said for me to come with him, it was too dangerous to stay. I followed him, and he started to train me in the ways of the Force. We headed for Alderaan, where Obi-Wan thought that he might make contact with the Rebellion, but on the way there, he said that he felt millions of lives just get snuffed out, and when we got to Alderaan, it was gone. We were captured by the Empire, and we escaped, but not before Obi-Wan died at the hands of Darth Vader. I helped the Rebel Alliance for a while, until Obi-Wan appeared to me through the Force, telling me to go to Dagobah.

"I follow his advice, and I meet you there." Luke paused for a moment, almost afraid to go on.

"More I wish to hear."

"Yes, Master." Luke took a deep breath and then continued. "I went to Dagobah to complete my training, but there were things going on with Leia and Han, and I wanted to go help them. You told me that I shouldn't go, but I went anyway. I returned, but it was too late. You were dying and couldn't help me anymore. You and Obi-Wan told me that I needed to confront Vader, who was my father, Anakin Skywalker, to become a Jedi Knight, as my final trial. I did go to confront him, but I believe there is good in him, so I tried to help him to find his way back to the Light. He took me to see the Emperor, and the Emperor tried to turn me to the Dark Side. I am ashamed to say that he goaded me into a fit of anger in which I hurt my father. But still, I did not kill him. The Emperor promised me many things, but I refused him. In the end, my father did see the light and picked the Emperor up and threw him down a reactor shaft. At the moment that the Force released the Emperor's life-force, we were here."

"Released the Dark Side, he has? Trouble in that there will be for him." Yoda said, and then the communicator demanded his attention. He shuffled over to it, and on the other end, the Healer he had left in charge of Anakin's care popped into view.

"Master Yoda, you had better come and see about this," she said as she was wringing her hands. "I don't know what to do."

"Come to you I will," Yoda said to her. "See you I must."

***

Padmé attended to complaints brought before her that required her authority to answer. Some things, she felt, were trivial, and some were more serious, but it felt tedious in the face of the Blockade.

After much wrangling in the political arena, she retired to her quarters with her handmaidens. They assisted her with the removal of her elaborate clothing, and she donned an outfit identical to theirs while Sabé dressed to play Queen. She double-checked in a mirror to ensure that all the white make-up was off and then went to her speechwriter.

"I am here to pick up the Queen's speech for this afternoon," she told the man.

"Mmmm. Here you are young lady." He peered at her over the top of his glasses. "Which one are you again?"

"Padmé," she replied.

"Ah, that's right. Let me know if Her Majesty needs anything else."

"I will do so," she said, and bowed to him, then headed back to the Queen's chambers, reading as she walked.

***

Master Yoda walked into the back room where they were keeping Anakin. The Healer who was sitting with him looked up and got down off her stool. "Master Yoda, we are trying to keep him sedated, but he metabolizes the midi-chlorian blockers so quickly." She looked chagrined. "I wish there was another way to sedate a Jedi."

"Place him in a healing trance I will, since unable to do so your Healers have been." Yoda took great care with the man he faced, for a wounded soul was as much a danger to themselves as they were to others.

"Thank you for doing this. We've done our best to keep him alive, but he barely touches the Force and he starts going into fits." She rubbed her arms, as though she were feeling a chill. "I've never seen the likes of it."

Yoda was silent as he completed the task, then turned to her. "Finished I am with your patient. Renounced the Dark Side he has, that is what ails him." He patted her arm. "Survive this he may not, no matter what is done for him."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this is late, my normal idea of posting on Friday morning got killed by this evil thing called work.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

  
Anakin drifted through a healing trance, shut off from the Dark Side, clinging to a word. He wasn't even sure, in his state of mind, what the word meant, but he knew that it was important. The word was "alive." He rolled it around in his mind looping it over itself, poking it, prodding it, examining it from every angle, trying to find out what was so very important about it.  


* * *  


Luke paced with uncharacteristic impatience. Every time he thought he might get some answers out of Master Yoda, he was called off. He thought about heading out after him, but the thought of getting lost in what had to be a gigantic structure within the largest city he had ever seen was daunting. Finding him with the Force, something that he would have thought impossible prior to his appearance in Yoda's meditation chamber, now seemed like it might work. He dropped into a meditative trance once again but found that Master Yoda was heading in his direction. He felt relieved that he wasn't going to have to navigate the building to find his answers.  


* * *  


Master Yoda walked along the corridor for the fourth time that morning. One of the Jedi charged with ensuring that administrative items were all in order caught up with him. "Master Yoda, I am glad I caught you." He began.

* * *  


"Unless to tell me that the Council is to be in session today are you here, to other things I must tend." Yoda said firmly.  
"Of course Master, I understand. That is why I am here."  
"Why the Council meets, do you know?"  
"The Supreme Chancellor has requested an audience."  
"Odd this is. There I shall be."  
"Thank you, Master."  
Master Yoda continued toward his meditation chamber, as the younger Jedi went off in another direction down a side hall. He entered his meditation chamber again, appraising Luke as he entered. "Patience you should learn, young Jedi." He said, settling down once again on his cushion. "Obi-Wan Kenobi, a student of mine, he was. Qui-Gon's Padawan, he is now. Traveled from the future I believe you have."  
Stunned at this revelation, Luke sat back, letting out a breath. "What can we do now?" he asked mostly to himself.  
"Wait." Master Yoda said.  
"Wait? Wait for what?" Luke asked, his frustration starting to get the best of him.  
"A Council meeting I have today, and precarious your father's health is. Go see him we should, and stay with him you will, until done with this I am."  


* * *  


"Good, you are here." Qui-Gon Jinn said as he entered the apartment that he shared with his Padawan.  
"What is it Master?" Obi-Wan asked, looking up from his reading.  
"We have been requested to see the Council, this afternoon."  
"There's nothing going on that they would want us involved in is there? After what happened the last time that we went on a mission for them, I would think that they wouldn't want us anywhere out of their sight."  
"They are not requesting our presence. Supreme Chancellor Valorum is."  
"Oh, really. This is interesting. What could he want with us, I wonder?"  
"Wonder indeed," Qui-Gon said heading off to another room to find formal attire for their meeting.  


* * *  


Padmé was bothered somewhat by their strange visitor. Captain Panaka had finally cleared her, saying that, while she could be dangerous, she was not an immediate threat. She felt as though she were someone she should know, but it was not unlike a dream she was trying to remember after waking up.  
The little toad Nute Gunray, whose meeting Leia's arrival had interrupted, was calling again, and she needed to attend to him, no matter how ridiculous she thought he was.  
She sat down in her throne, surrounded by the people who would need to hear this anyway. "Viceroy," she said, calmly collected. "I have been assured that we will not be interrupted further."  
"Your Highness, I hope the Senate sees fit to remove the tariffs that they so rashly passed, as your own Senator sponsored those tariffs, so your planet suffers now."  
She paused for long enough to make the Viceroy uncomfortable. "I trust Senator Palpatine did what he felt was right. The days of the Trade Federation bullying systems is over, Viceroy."  
"But Your Highness, this is the only way…"  
"Enough," she snapped at him, cutting off his diatribe, "This is a sovereign planet and will remain so. Your threats will be answered for in the Senate." She signaled that the transmission be cut off; she was tired of dealing with the unreasonable demands.  
Leia, who had been watching the proceedings from the sidelines said, "I have a suggestion, if you want to hear it." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo. Soz about chapter being like supposed to be up 2 weeks ago. I'll do edits on chapters 5 & 6 and hopefully get that up later in the week and move my goal publish date to Saturday morning.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> getting everyone going and meeting up

Chapter 5

* * *

Luke walked with Master Yoda to the Healer's chambers then into the back room where Anakin was being held. Looking on his father's scarred face; he felt a great sense of peace coming from him. Luke knew that he had made the right choice when he hadn't given up on turning his father to the Light.

Yoda said to the Healer, "Feed this one, I wish you to, while by his father's side he waits."

" I think he'll be able to feed himself," she said, grinning at the small green Master.

"About that we  shall see," Yoda said to her. He turned to Luke and said, "To the Council Meeting I go. Return I  shall , when it  is done . How he is, we  shall see then. Completed, his healing is not, but close it is."

Yoda headed out the door, but Luke had already turned his attention to his ailing father. The Healer slipped out the door and back in while Luke sat vigilant with Anakin.

She handed a tray of food to Luke, saying, "Master Yoda wants you to eat. I'd do it if I were you. He can get very unhappy when people aren't doing what's best for them."

"I know," Luke said, taking the food which he picked at while he sat there with Anakin.  He noticed that they had repaired the mechanical arm which he had cut off during the duel before the Emperor . His helmet sat off to one side, and he was breathing with the help of a respirator.

"Does he  really need that?" he asked the Healer, pointing at the respirator.

"He would die without some sort of oxygenation, yes. His lungs were very  badly damaged at some point in his life." she said. "His mask does the same thing, as well."

* * *

Obi-Wan thought it very odd that they were being asked to attend a meeting of the Jedi Council by the Chancellor. He wondered what it was all about as he dressed in formal clothes Qui-Gon had laid out for him.

"Master," he said in a thoughtful tone, "could this have anything to do with that Trade Federation siege on Naboo ? The Senate  certainly has  been riled up about it."

"I do not know, my young Padawan, but we will find out  quickly enough for me."  Qui-Gon replied, as he belted his overshirt in place, and then adjusted Obi-Wan's garments to his satisfaction .

* * *

Yoda left Luke, but was still very unsettled by the events of that morning. He headed up to the Jedi Council Chambers, needing this meeting to be a short one, and expecting that it would not be.

Entering the Council Chambers, Yoda hope to catch Mace Windu alone, but although he was there, so were Plo Koon, Ki-Adi-Mundi, and Oppo Rancisis . While they were all great Masters in their own rights, none of them  were suited to the task at hand. He sighed, and walked over to his seat, waited for the rest of the Council to arrive.

* * *

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan left their room and headed for the Council Chambers. On the way there, they met up with Supreme Chancellor Valorum.

"Ah, good,  just the Jedi I wanted to see," Valorum said.

"What is this all about?" asked an impatient Obi-Wan.

"Well, I have a favor to ask of you,"

"And that would be?" Qui-Gon asked, imposing the half-a-head height difference he had on the Chancellor.

The Chancellor, used to having people try to intimidate him,  was unfazed . "I need you to go to the Trade Federation blockade at Naboo and negotiate a treaty with them. I have no one I can trust to do this except the Jedi.  You are the most famed diplomat,  perhaps outside of Master Windu, and  I don't think even I could pry him from his Council seat short of the outbreak of war .  I hope to prevent that."

Qui-Gon frowned at this.  He didn't pay as much attention to the Senate as did his Padawan, because they spent too much time rehashing the past and not enough time living in the present .

The Chancellor continued, "You are also famed for your,  shall we say, unconventional, way of getting things done ."

They arrived at the Council Chambers, and Qui-Gon held the door as the Chancellor entered, then caught the sleeve of Obi-Wan's shirt, whispering to him, "I do not like this, be on your guard ."

Yoda opened the proceedings. "Chancellor Valorum, asked us here you have. To tell us something, are you here. To listen are we here."

"Thank you, Master Yoda. I have come before you today in secret to ask that you help to end the blockade of Naboo by the Trade Federation. It is with great regret that I have been unable to find a political means of doing so.  It is only with much deliberation that I ask that the Jedi involve themselves in such a political dispute, as I know that the custom of the Jedi is to remain neutral .  I fear that this is the beginning of a greater conflict, and  I think that it is possible if we stop them now before blood  is shed that we will be able to avoid a war altogether . This is my sincere hope.  Having had contact with  numerous Jedi over the years I thought it wise to choose two Jedi in whom I have the utmost confidence, and who will be able to,  I believe , overcome any obstacle placed in their path to peace .  I ask that you send Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi to the besieged planet of Naboo  in order to circumvent this coming war ."

Qui-Gon  was stunned .  He had never heard such a direct speech from a politician of any stripe, especially one so  highly placed as the Chancellor .

Master Yoda was slow to respond, weighing his words very  carefully . "Much thought have you placed into this mission. Of very grave importance  I feel you understand this to be. Object to this I cannot."

Qui-Gon looked around the room, wondering if any of the other Masters would object. None of them seemed to want to disagree with Master Yoda.  Usually, all the people who didn't belong on the Council would  be kicked out and then sometimes weeks of deliberation would ensue .  Sensing with the Living Force, he found that Yoda wanted to keep him out of something, something about Obi-Wan . He heard the Master's thoughts on this:  _ Discuss this we will, upon your return. _

Qui-Gon, satisfied that whatever was going on with Master Yoda and the Council would not affect this mission, he said, "We can be ready to leave tomorrow if that is suitable ?"

No one seemed to want to say anything again. After a lengthy pause, Master Yoda said to Qui-Gon, "So be it."

* * *

Leia's eyes narrowed as the Queen of Naboo dropped a name that she was very familiar with, although not with the title she would have expected . Something was wrong with the universe, and she didn't know quite what yet. The Queen cut the man off, at about the same point that she would have. He'd had his say, and anything else that came out of his mouth would  just be a repetition of his position. A thought was forming in her mind, one that she did not at all care for. "I have a suggestion, if you want to hear it," she said, and every eye in the room riveted on her.

Used to the attention, Leia was not bothered by it, although she hadn't had to say anything to an audience this large in a while . "If we can get around their blockade, you can negotiate from a position of strength.  I doubt they have the resources to englobe the planet," she said, then asked, "do you have a map detailing the positions of the blockading ships ?"

Captain Panaka stepped forward, "We do," he inserted a data chip into the main viewer.  As he typed a few commands into it, a globe, and ships encircling the equatorial region popped into three-dimensional view .  "They have ships above our port locations, here, here and here," he said indicating three glowing dots on the globe near the equator .

"It would be simple enough to leave via the polar regions, would it not?" she asked, "and be out of the system before they could blink."

"We have no ports at the poles," the captain began to protest.

"Nonsense. You don't need to have ports there. You  just need the ships to  fly within the atmosphere.  Then, being that the Trade Federation cannot make the people of Naboo trade with them, they are much weaker in position, and should be much more willing to negotiate ."

"It is possible that this will break the blockade. I will allow it," the Queen said, trusting this stranger, but not quite knowing why.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo, many adventures later and I can finally get this chapter up. Like seriously, I would love to just do this all day, but I have everything in the world going against me working on stuff. sucks.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Mace Windu waited as Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, the Chancellor, and several of the council members filled out of the room. He looked at the small green Master seated next to him, and Yoda said to him, "This evening, come to me you will." It was almost a whisper; low enough, anyway, that no one else could have heard it. Mace nodded, and Yoda got up and made his way across the room. Ki-Adi-Mundi stood and came over to talk to Mace. "What was that about?"

"I don't know." Mace said, staring off ahead of him. "Something has happened. I don't know what."

"We should have had a debate!" Ki-Adi-Mundi complained. He was always raring for a fight, be it verbal, or physical.

"What would your vote have been, in the end?" 

"Well," he said, thinking for a few moments, "I don't see any reason that they couldn't go. It was not an unreasonable request."

"I don't suppose so," he said, laughing at Mace's choice of words and patting him on the back, "Did you want to have some sparring practice later tonight? After dinner perhaps?"

"I have another engagement that will take up most of my evening tonight. We could arrange something tomorrow?" Mace answered, templing his fingers as he thought about his upcoming meetings.

"Something is keeping you out of the Lightsaber Arena? Must be something pretty important. There's nothing too big going on tomorrow. What do you say to after breakfast?"

"I shall be there." Mace said, rising and heading for the door.

* * *

Anakin spent several hours in quiet repose as he examined the presences  just outside of his personal domain . There was a feminine presence, one that he thought he ought to recognize, but didn't. Her presence withdrew once, and then returned. While she was gone, another presence was there, this one masculine. He felt that he should recognize that presence as well. The realization that a great deal of his knowledge  was forbidden to him, outside of his cocoon, came to him.  There was also a third presence that came and went and came back, also familiar, and as he pressed his senses to the utmost, others, much less distinct, but every one of them was one that he had touched before, before…something .  He eased into sleep beyond dreams then, away from his half-lucid, semi-aware dream-like state .

* * *

Luke went back to picking at the food the Healer had brought him after she finished with him. He spent a good deal of time in very light contact with the Force, watching over his father. After some time there, he asked the Healer, "How long does a council meeting take?"

She thought for a little bit. "It depends on the subject. A quick meeting usually takes about three or four hours. If it's something more involved, they can go for most of the evening, then break and pick up again after breakfast."

Luke sighed. He hoped that this would be one of their shorter meetings. Watching over Anakin was a distraction, but only that. It wasn't like he would be going anywhere anytime soon. Anakin's spirit was restless, brushing against his mind at odd intervals. Luke wondered at that because he'd never seen anyone in a healing trance before, nor had he had time to study anyone other than Master Yoda in any context with the Force.

* * *

Obi-Wan followed Qui-Gon out the door of the Council chambers. Qui-Gon launched his way headlong towards, he assumed, their quarters. He was right, and closed the door behind himself once they arrived. "What's going on, Master?" Obi-Wan asked, his Master already over by the sitting area, not a good sign.

"I have never had such a short Council meeting in my life.  I didn't think it was possible to get anything done in less than 5 hours unless it involved a life-or-death emergency, and even then, it would be iffy ." Qui-Gon paced behind the couch, worrying the carpet with his feet as he often did.

"Well, Master, we have little to worry about. We have a mission, an easy one;  just talk some sense into a few traders. Then we come back, and  maybe we can sink our teeth into something better suited to our knowledge and ability."

Qui-Gon turned and looked at Obi-Wan, started twice to say something, then, giving up, he went back to pacing for a few lengths .

"Did something happen, Master?"  Obi-Wan asked, rummaging through the kitchen for something suitable to ease Qui-Gon's mood or his stomach, which was growling .

"Something, yes," Qui-Gon said, still pacing. "I'll be back after a while. You stay here." He rarely ordered Obi-Wan from his presence, so this was definitely worrisome.  Obi-Wan only caught the view of his retreating Master as he left their quarters when he came out of the kitchen to see .

* * *

Yoda waited for the room to clear, sensing that Mace was as well, he whispered to him, "This evening, come to me you will," waited to see a slight nod of acknowledgement, then left the room . He needed to get back to Luke and Anakin.  They were important to the future, as well as being from the future, but the future needed to  be handled with the utmost of care . He walked back toward the Healers, and was about to step into the room when Qui-Gon caught up with him.

"What is going on, Master Yoda?" Qui-Gon asked, seeming to be quite upset.

"Time to discuss this, now, I do not have. Later, will we speak on this."

"I don't care whether you think that you have time to discuss it now. You  _ will _ discuss this now, as it affects my Padawan."

Yoda turned his eyes down. "Unclear is the future, for this matter. No harm do I wish Obi-Wan in this. Unaffected by recent events, I wish him to be."

"Will you tell me what is going on, at least? I need to know if this  really concerns Obi-Wan.  Perhaps I can help to judge what and how much to tell him."

Yoda looked at Qui-Gon, studying his features, his certitudes. He finally nodded and sighed, heading off to the back of the Healers Hall.

* * *

Padmé watched the blips that indicated ships that were heading to the poles, trying to leave.  So far, they had either gone undetected or were being ignored, because the ships circling the equator had not moved .

The entire council watched the 3-D projection in front of her, and she held her breath as the ships from all three space ports converged on either pole, but still the Trade Federation's ships did not react .  The ones at the North Pole took to space first, getting only as far out as they  absolutely had to before igniting their hyperdrives . The ships at the South Pole exited the gravity well and ignited their hyperdrives as well. As an  additional precaution, the two fleets  were headed in opposite directions.  As the second fleet took to hyperspace a cheer erupted in the room, but was  quickly toned down by the beeping of the communicator .

Captain Panaka checked it, and said, "It's the Viceroy."

Padmé's smile left her face, "I will speak with him."

  
  



	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Qui-Gon followed Master Yoda into a room in the Healer's, where a man all in black, not much older than Obi-Wan, sat in contemplation of the figure on the bed. His hair, the shaggy length of a knight of about a year, was a shade of brown that looked as though it had once been blonde. He did not react to their presence.

Master Yoda went over to the young man. He looked over a food tray that sitting in front of him, then addressed him, "Eat so little do you? Worry less you should," Yoda diagnosed his problem almost immediately.

He did not even turn his head to look at Master Yoda. "I know," he said with a sigh, "It's hard for me not to worry though."

"See what is going to happen, soon enough you will," Yoda declared as Qui-Gon continued to watch from inside the entrance, not entirely sure what was going on. He had never heard Master Yoda dismiss the events of the near future in such an off-handed manner.

"Of course, you are right, Master," said the young man, looking up at Yoda, "I forget myself sometimes."

"Hmmm. Put you to work I should. Good for you it would be."

"What kind of work, Master Yoda?" his voice sounded perplexed.

"With Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his Padawan you should go." Yoda settled in a low chair. He turned to look at Qui-Gon then, a quick glance, and back to Yoda. "Yes, out into the galaxy you will go and, good for you it will be."

Qui-Gon was surprised the man had no arguments for Yoda. "Yes, Master," he said as he went back to watching the figure on the bed.

* * *

Anakin woke, really woke this time. He remembered being half-awake, not awake, and dreaming, but now he was awake. He opened his eyes, and saw Luke sitting with him. Luke smiled, and Anakin tried to say something, but he couldn't talk around his breathing equipment.  _ Luke,  _ he sent the thought through the Force.

_ I am here, Father,  _ he got back.

He closed his eyes, resting them. He was unaccustomed to such brightness.  _ What has happened? _

_ I believe that we have gone back in time. This is what Master Yoda has told me. I saw him die several years ago, and yet he is here, and very much alive.  _ Anakin felt the presences of two others enter the room, one staying back, and one coming towards him.

"Eat so little do you? Worry less you should," came the voice of Master Yoda. He hadn't been dreaming. This was somehow real.  _ Master?  _ The tendril of thought reached out to Yoda. Much that had transpired, jumbled though it was, rushed to the surface of his mind.

"I know," he heard Luke say with a sigh, "It's hard for me not to worry though."  _ Discretion will this one need.  _ Yoda's thought returned to him.

"See what is going to happen, soon enough you will," declared Master Yoda, as he felt the brush of that mind against his.  _ Send him to Naboo, I wish. A real Jedi at work, he should see. _

"Of course, you are right, Master, I forget myself sometimes." The phrase rang in his head.  _ He _ had said those very words, to Obi-Wan. The awful things that had brought him to the Dark Side, and everything since, in a way, had not even happened yet. A single tear welled up and fell down the side of his face onto his ear.  _ Naboo. He will not know that place. _

"Hmmm. Put you to work I should. Good for you it would be."  _ I agree.  _ Anakin added his thought to Luke.

"What kind of work, Master Yoda?"  _ Why do you want me to run off now? _ Luke sent back to Anakin.

"With Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his Padawan you should go. Yes, out into the galaxy you will go and, good for you it will be." Anakin felt a wash of relief, knowing that his now-self could not be more than the not yet 10-year-old that had been when he watched the funeral of Qui-Gon, thirty-some years ago.

"Yes, Master," Luke agreed, but he had pressure from two sides to contend with.  _ Qui-Gon would have been a good Master to me, had he lived.  _ Anakin told Luke.

Puzzled, Luke asked,  _ Will he die soon? _

Anakin, having been able to fix time in his head now, said,  _ No, not this mission. But if you go, this might be the mission to Naboo when they pick me up. Don't be surprised.  _ Dredging up memories from the first time that he met Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan was bittersweet to Anakin, but by examining them in the Light, it was easier now.

Anakin felt Yoda following the conversation, but Qui-Gon had not been. Yoda said, "Proper equipment he does not have. See that he gets it will you?"  _ Important it is that who you are, Obi-Wan does not find out.  _ Yoda's thought infiltrated the conversation.

Qui-Gon lifted an eyebrow, "Is there a reason that he does not have proper equipment?" Y _ ou are about to become a temple Jedi.  _ Anakin said to Luke, allowing a few of his happier memories with Obi-Wan through to him.

"Away on a mission have these two been for me. Problems they have had, in returning to Coruscant, many years has it been since they have seen the Temple."  _ A tiny fiction, to keep safe all those involved, I must tell: Existed before today, did you.  _ Yoda's mind-voice, heavy with regret, came through to him.

"Away." Qui-Gon said. "Humph. And now I ask, what does this have to do with my Padawan?"  _ Never was Qui-Gon one to be easily dissuaded.  _ Anakin thought to Luke.

"A vision of the future, they have seen, in a place heavy with the Force," Yoda said.  _ A Master of the Force, he would not be, if that were not true. _

* * *

"And that place would be?" Qui-Gon sounded like he was about to lose his patience again.

Yoda leaned in closer to Qui-Gon, and said in a hushed tone, "Dagobah."

Qui-Gon looked startled. "What an absolutely wretched place," he stroked his beard. "I don't suppose you wish to share this vision with me?"

Luke stood and turned to Qui-Gon, and looked at him very seriously, "the things that I saw on Dagobah will haunt me for the rest of my days. I have shared them with Master Yoda, but I will not share them again."

"Your words ring true, Young Jedi. I will not press you, so long as this does not bring harm to Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said, backing off the subject. "Come, let us get you equipped. We have little time to prepare for our departure, and you are an unexpected addition."  _ I will return, Father.  _ Luke thought as he headed out the door.

* * *

Obi-Wan paced nervously awaiting the return of his Master, which was quick, compared to some of his wanderings. The door opened, and Qui-Gon stepped through, much calmer than when he left. "Stop pacing, Obi-Wan, you will wear a hole in the carpet," he said as he stepped into their quarters, barely looking up to see what Obi-Wan had been doing.

"I will not. If there is a hole in the carpet, it is from your pacing, I only picked the habit up from you, since you cannot stand to be still if there is something that you do not know everything about."

Qui-Gon harrumphed derisively, unimpressed with Obi-Wan's arguments. Luke entered, quietly, trying to be unobtrusive. "And who is this, Master?" He asked, curious.

Qui-Gon opened his mouth, and then closed it. He turned to look at Luke and said, "Master Yoda never gave me your name."

"I am Luke," he said.

"I haven't seen you around the Temple anywhere, Luke." Obi-Wan stated the simple fact, instead of asking a question.

"I just got here from Dagobah. We were there for about five years," he said.

Obi-Wan looked surprised, "I didn't know anyone could stand to be on that planet for more than a week, and that's stretching it."

"It grows on you," Luke said with a shrug.

"That's one way of putting it."

Qui-Gon broke into their conversation. "Luke needs equipment. Can you see that he gets everything that he needs? He is coming with us. I need to go arrange for our transportation."

"Yes, Master, of course."

Luke and Obi-Wan headed off for the lower levels, where basic supplies were stored and distributed.

* * *

Padmé, once again disguised in her handmaiden outfit, headed out to the gardens, but on her way there Captain Panaka stopped her, "Padmé?"

"Yes, captain what can I do for you?"

"Come with me," he said, taking her by the arm and leading her down the hall into his office. "You will explain yourself."

"What do you mean?"

"This Leia person, who is she, and why are you suddenly taking up for her, when she interrupted delicate negotiations, and could have seriously injured you?"

Padmé sat back, not expecting that question, " She's done nothing but try to help, Captain, besides the interruption does not seem to have been deliberate on her part," she answered after a few moments to think about the question. "She just seems trustworthy. I can't explain it any better than that."

"I don't like it. She is an unknown element, and the timing of her appearance is highly suspect. She could be a threat."

"She has done nothing to earn our distrust, Captain. I understand your concern for my safety, but I do not appreciate the tone that you are taking with me. I am the elected leader of the people, not you."

"I mean no disrespect, Your Majesty, and while it is true she has not earned our distrust, she also has done nothing to earn our trust, either."

"You are being paranoid, Captain. Until she does something that would indicate that she is a danger," She said.

"It's my job to be paranoid," Panaka interjected.

"I wish to keep her here. That is final."

"She's not a pet, Padmé."

Looking out into the gardens as she spoke, Padmé answered, "But I feel like she belongs to me, nonetheless."

Panaka sighed and didn't press the issue any further.

* * *

Yoda watched the two Jedi leave. To the young Healer who he had charged with Anakin's care, he said, "Awake he is now. Tend to this I will."

She bowed, said, "Yes, Master," and exited the room.

"Your story, I wish to hear." Yoda said after a few moments.

_ Where would you like me to start? _

"Qui-Gon found you, to Luke you said. There begin."

_ I was a slave boy on Tatooine when Qui-Gon found me and saw that I was using the Force in my Pod-Racing. He made a deal with Watto, my former owner. We came to Coruscant, and I was tested to see if I would be an acceptable candidate for training as a Jedi. I was not accepted, even though I had the highest midi-chlorian count on record. Qui-Gon said that it didn't matter what the Council said, he would train me. Then we went back to Naboo. There was a Sith Lord waiting there. He killed Qui-Gon, but Obi-Wan managed to kill him, throwing him down the reactor shaft. With his dying breath, Qui-Gon made Obi-Wan promise that he would train me, even though he had only just gone through his trials, he hadn't even been confirmed as a Knight yet. _

"A Sith Lord, say you?" he looked at Anakin, who had turned his head to look at him. "Truth I feel in your words. Disturbing it is indeed. Continue," he commanded.

_ Obi-Wan trained me to the best of his ability, but I was young, naive, unfamiliar with the ways of the Jedi, and headstrong. I was rash, and the Clone Wars only made matters worse, giving me a path to glory with nothing to check my progress, not even my conscience. I was a hero, and the people loved me for it. I was The Chosen One, The Hero with No Fear. I was permitted to skip my trials, because of the war. I had demonstrated each of the characteristics that the trials represented. I was made a Knight. I did something then that was probably the rashest thing that I have ever done in my life—I married Padmé, whom I had met on Tatooine while Qui-Gon was taking her to appear before the Senate. I thought she was an angel. We had little time together, but we saw each other any time that I was on Coruscant, which wasn't often. I started having dreams when I came back after having been gone for, oh, four, maybe six months, and found that my wife was pregnant. I dreamed that she would die in childbirth, but I couldn't take that, I had to find a way to help her. The Chancellor said that he knew the ways of the Force, and he would be able to help me. Little did I realize that he was the Dark Lord of the Sith, Master to Darth Maul ten years previous, and to Darth Tyranus, whom I killed less than a week earlier. I did horrible things, things I regretted even as I did them, to save her. In the end it was for nothing. I fought with Obi-Wan, and lost. In that moment I understood what I had lost, but I buried it deep within myself when I awoke, more machine than man. My purpose had been burned out of me on Mustafar, with the death of my Angel, my Padmé. Somehow Obi-Wan got her to safety, and took the twins from her before she died. Luke has a sister, Leia.  _ Anakin became contemplative then, for a while.

"More I wish to hear." Yoda said, after letting him come to terms with the probable fact that he would never see his daughter again.

_ I spent the years that the twins were growing up, not realizing that they existed, just playing lap dog to a tyrant. I was his enforcer, going when he had to stay in the capital, instilling fear in the hearts of everyone around me. I did it mechanically, just going through the motions until they killed me. Palpatine would never have allowed me to kill myself. I was his prize, the Jedi-turned-Sith, the most powerful Force user in the galaxy. Then I found Luke, my child, and an ember flared to life in a fire pit that I that I thought had been cold for twenty years. I did not know how to feel anymore. The emotions burned me, at first. Palpatine was practically gleeful. Someone else to turn, who would be a real apprentice, and kill him when he had learned all that there was to know about being a Sith. I had refused time and again to kill him, but I was so much more than he, even broken as I am, that he could not cause me harm unless I allowed it. I allowed it to get far enough that I was forced to come to a decision. The life of my Sith Master, or the life of my child, the precious product of the love that I once shared with my wife. I chose to save Luke, though I knew the retribution that the Dark Side would exact on me for choosing to allow myself to be filled with love, driving out the hate, rage, and anger that had filled me, and kept me alive at times. I killed the Emperor because he was about to destroy the living embodiment of my love. This was the one reason for killing him that would cause a backlash through the Dark Side, killing me as well. I did not expect to live through the encounter, and truly I am surprised that I am alive at all. Luke saved me because I could not save myself. I don't know if this trip through time has stopped the backlash. I hope this is true, so that I can help to avoid the coming war, and the destruction of the Temple.  _ Another tear slid out of his eye as he thought of his role in the destruction of the Jedi Temple.

* * *

Mace Windu sat in quiet contemplation, waiting in Yoda's meditation room. Yoda walked in, closing the door behind him. "Much to discuss have we," he said as he got up onto one of the cushions. He settled himself down, resting for a while before starting.

He told Mace everything that had happened, in as much detail as he could muster. "The future is dark, I fear. Uncertain am I if helpful this is."

"I have to agree with you. A Sith? This is a stretch, even with evidence. We will have to be careful."

"Enough it may not be."

"If Senator Palpatine is a Sith Lord, what is the best course of action for the Jedi?"

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> AN: No, this is not a drill. Yes, I'm really going back through and rebuffing this story. I've learned so much writing and I think it's time.


End file.
